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Divorce look-up anyone?

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  • Divorce look-up anyone?

    Some of you will remember my "who was Charles Villiers?" saga in which the cream of British society was put under the microscope.

    Details from the marriage certificate are:
    Charles James Villiers born c. 1862
    married
    Marie Bilger born 1862 Germany
    on 3 Sep. 1904 at The Bavarian Chapel, Westminster
    (GRO ref. is Westminster q3 1904 1a 1225)

    Family talk says he was a bigamist (not necessarily this marriage) and no-one here was able to find out anything else about him, so the suspicion is that he gave a false name. It is also said Marie divorced him not long afterwards.

    I'd like to find out about the divorce and I wonder if anyone is subscribed to a database site. A Google search came up with Ancestry but I'm blowed if I can find any divorce records there.

    Can anyone shed any light on this please?
    Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

  • #2
    I'm not aware of any English divorce records on Ancestry. There are some on TNA, but I can't see Charles or Marie.

    Otherwise you'll have to apply to the Family Division for a search:

    Divorce and Annulments - Family Tree Forum

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    • #3
      Read more about the records and how they can help you discover details about your family ... This search allows you to view the original indexes of divorce ...
      Divorces and matrimonial causes 1858 - 1903 - search on findmypast - 24k - Cached - Similar pages

      Wills and Divorces
      they are on findmypast

      I had a bigamist and traced hi through the 1901 census by his fathers occupation he had lied about his name completely
      Last edited by Guest; 30-05-08, 12:28.

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      • #4
        Mary - thanks for the link.

        Val - what a pity, a useful resource but it ends before my lady was married.
        Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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        • #5
          I would have thought it should be on TNA in class J 77 as there are certainly cases in there from as late as the 1930's, but I couldn't see it in there. But if he was a bigamist, is it possible that the marriage was annulled rather than there being a divorce?
          KiteRunner

          Every five years or so I look back on my life and I have a good... laugh"
          (Indigo Girls, "Watershed")

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          • #6
            The bigamous (second) marriage would be invalid, so there's be no need for it to be annulled as far as I know. But the wronged (first) wife could have applied for a divorce.

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            • #7
              Anyone with first-hand information is long dead. My only aunt who might know anything was born 20 years later and lives in "the empire" without internet access. I'm not in the habit of phoning her.
              Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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              • #8
                Mary

                Oddly, that's not quite true!

                I think it was Merry who pointed out that a bigamous marriage has to be legally entered as an annulled marriage, in the divorce courts, under the Nullity and Void act or something.....MERRY! Where are you! Rescue me!!

                OC

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                • #9
                  Ah, now you mention it, I believe she did say something of the kind.

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                  • #10
                    I thought I read that in the WIKI ref that was posted.
                    Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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                    • #11
                      Oh yes, I posted the link without reading the text This is what it says:

                      Before either party involved in a bigamous marriage could remarry, they had to apply for a declaration of nullity (i.e. have a court decide that they were indeed correct that the marriage had been bigamous).
                      According to what I've found by googling, a bigamous marriage is void as opposed to voidable, which means that in theory there's no need for a decree of nullity. However, it does sound logical that a decree would be needed before the parties could remarry, to establish whether the marriage really was bigamous.

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